100 must-read articles on the shape of 2016

Over the course of the year, I keep a running list of articles that strike me as especially interesting—whether they’re unusually insightful, imaginative, well written, or entertaining. As we approach the holidays, I revisit the collection to remind myself of the year that was and to see if I can find any patterns.

Obviously, it doesn’t take this kind of exercise to know that 2016 was abnormal. We’re definitely going to need the help of future historians and (hopefully) their dispassionate, clear-eyed hindsight to help make sense of its stormy politics, domestic unrest, workforce troubles, international crises, untimely deaths, unexpected athletic outcomes, and much more.

But my review did uncover something fascinating: The tumult of 2016 seems to have prompted a good bit of soul-searching and unleashed analytical creativity. While the articles in total tell the story of the year, many also seem to expose a collective state of mind: writers, in real time, reflecting on and trying to explain a seemingly inexplicable zeitgeist.

So here are 100 of my favorite articles of 2016, loosely categorized by subject. I found each to be special in its own right, and together, I think they paint an arresting picture of an extraordinary year.

 
November Surprise

Obviously, the biggest story of the year was the election. Though much of the coverage provided heat, the best writing generated bright light, enabling us to see what had been obscured and grasp what we found.

 This summer, two different publications produced, nearly simultaneously, articles based on the voices of Trump supporters. They were illuminating then, even more so now: David Blankenhorn in The American Interest on listening to Trump voters and David Frum in The Atlantic on how those voters saw the upcoming election.

Awards for foresight might go to Henry Olsen’s January National Review article on disillusioned blue-collar voters and former MTV reporter Tabatha Soren’s New York Times piece on how the Hillary Clinton of the 1990s presaged the Hillary Clinton of 2016.

There were three especially good what-might-have-beens. Matt Labash’s Weekly Standard article on the protracted hindenburging of Jeb Bush’s and Mike Murphy’s “Right to Rise” was entertaining and informative. George Will’s Washington Post column made a convincing case for Mitch Daniels’ candidacy. Tim Alberta wrote an exceptional analysis of the exceptional talents of Marco Rubio and how they misfit this exceptional year.

As for analysis, Mark Thompson wrote a brilliant column on public rhetoric, populism, and “authenticism” throughout history and how they were revealed in the 2016 campaign; David Fahrenthold did some stellar gritty, shoe-leather reporting on President-elect Trump’s philanthropy; Maureen Dowd wrote on the campaign’s “fear and insecurity”; and Molly Ball wrote on the principles and posturing of Ted Cruz.

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 100 must-read articles on the shape of 2016

 
Πηγή: American Enterprise Institute